Client Partner

Client Partner – Job Description

About S&S

Sullivan & Stanley is not a traditional consulting firm. We are intentionally building something different.

We are a company of relationship builders, consultants and entrepreneurs who believe that how work gets done matters just as much as what gets delivered. We exist to challenge ineffective change and outdated consulting models, replacing them with approaches that are human, pragmatic and built for the realities of modern organisations.

Culture at S&S is something we take seriously, not as a certification but as a daily practice. We are committed to creating an environment where people are trusted, supported and encouraged to bring their full selves to work, balancing high standards with humanity, care and accountability.

We are deeply mission driven. We want to change business for good, so that the next generation, including our founder Pat Lynes' sons, Sullivan and Stanley, who the company is named after, inherit organisations that are healthier, fairer and better equipped for the future.

As we grow, we are pioneering a Service-as-a-Software approach to consulting, blending community, capability, technology and delivery at scale. This is an opportunity to join a firm in its next phase of growth and help shape what consulting becomes next, not just participate in what it has been.

Our values

• Be transparent and honest
• Give more than you receive
• Look after one another
• Follow through

About You and the Role

Proactive, tenacious, customer focused

You are a trusted senior advisor with a strong commercial instinct and a track record of owning and growing complex client relationships. You operate at executive level, shape client agendas and are personally accountable for commercial outcomes.

The Client Partner is the senior commercial, strategic and relational owner of one or more of S&S's most important accounts. They are accountable for long-term revenue growth, strategic engagement, client value, and for defining and executing the account vision.

Client Partners act as the interface between S&S and client leadership teams, shaping demand, owning strategic outcomes, and ensuring S&S is positioned as a trusted advisor and transformation partner. They lead account planning, opportunity origination, commercial performance and value realisation.

This role sits at the centre of the S&S growth engine, driving both the strategic direction and commercial performance of assigned strategic accounts.

Accountabilities

The Client Partner is accountable for owning and growing strategic client relationships, driving significant revenue, and shaping both client outcomes and the future of Sullivan & Stanley.

1. Client engagement & delivery leadership

• Owning senior, trusted relationships at C-suite and executive level, acting as a strategic advisor to clients.
• Leveraging cross-sector experience to shape new opportunities and address complex or sensitive client situations.
• Anticipating client needs beyond current engagements and identifying opportunities to add further value.
• Taking accountability for the quality, impact and outcomes of client work under their remit.

2. Sales & business development

• Leading significant business development opportunities across both new (hunting) and existing (farming) client relationships.
• Providing strategic direction on proposals, shaping compelling commercial propositions across a range of offerings.
• Negotiating commercials and contracting directly with clients.
• Identifying, designing and selling solutions that create measurable client value and drive sustainable business growth.

3. Revenue & financial performance

• Owning £5m+ revenue across one or more sectors or portfolios.
• Taking full accountability for financial performance, deliverables, pipeline, and bids and win rates.
• Demonstrating £3m+ personally attributable sales, evidencing direct commercial impact.
• Managing margin, scope and commercial risk across engagements.

4. Internal contribution & leadership

• Shaping long-term firm strategy, ensuring growth is underpinned by strong delivery capability, the right internal structures, and effective external and alliance relationships.
• Providing leadership, coaching and direct intervention to consultants, delivery leads and engagement teams at all levels.
• Acting as a role model for S&S values, behaviours and standards.

5. Internal change & continuous improvement

• Actively contributing to S&S's ambition to be a "model organisation", operating at the leading edge of organisational design.
• Participating in and facilitating retrospectives, strategy-to-execution sessions, team effectiveness workshops and internal strategy days.
• Championing experimentation and improvement — "keeping S&S in beta" — to evolve how the firm operates.

6. Thought leadership & market influence

• Acting as a visible leader and person of influence within their area of expertise.
• Representing and expressing the S&S point of view through social media, speaking engagements and thought leadership events.
• Contributing to the creation of content across written formats, video and audio, and live events.
• Building personal and firm reputation in the market — potentially including long-form thought leadership (and yes, even writing a book).

Qualifications & Skills

• Experience: Proven track record (10+ years) in a senior client-facing, account management, or consulting role, with experience managing large or enterprise-level accounts.
• Education: Bachelor's degree.
• Consulting skills: Excellent problem-solving, analytical and critical thinking skills, with the ability to provide innovative, tailored solutions.
• Communication: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including public speaking and presentation abilities.
• Interpersonal skills: Strong empathy, active listening, negotiation and stakeholder management skills to build trust and navigate complex client dynamics.
• Leadership: Demonstrated leadership abilities, experience managing teams, and a focus on mentoring and developing others.
• Business acumen: Highly commercially aware, with experience in financial management, business development and strategic planning.
• Adaptability: Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment and adapt to changing priorities and client needs.

Success Measures & KPIs

• Revenue growth vs target — achieving or exceeding revenue growth goals for assigned accounts (e.g. a 40% uplift). This is the primary indicator of commercial performance and account leadership.
• Run rate & forecast accuracy — the reliability of revenue forecasting, and quarterly and annual account predictions. This ensures predictable growth and operational planning across S&S.
• Pipeline velocity & progression — the speed and quality of opportunity progression through the pipeline, from lead to qualified to proposal to won. This measures sales effectiveness and strategic alignment.
• New opportunity creation (white space) — the number and quality of new, qualified opportunities created within accounts. This demonstrates proactive strategic shaping, not reactive selling.
• Client satisfaction (CSAT/NPS) — senior stakeholder perception and relationship quality, reflecting trust, partnership and overall account health.
• Value realisation — the percentage of engagements with defined value outcomes achieved or exceeded, showing the ability to deliver meaningful, measurable impact.
• Commercial hygiene — the quality of SOWs, change controls, pricing and margin protection, which protects S&S's revenue and risk position.
• Account plan adoption & governance — the completion, quality and consistency of quarterly account plan refreshes, ensuring strong strategic direction and disciplined account management.
• Escalation frequency & resolution quality — the number of escalations and the effectiveness of remediation, ensuring stability and strengthening client trust.
• Contribution to propositions & insight — the quality of market and client insight shared with GTM, Consulting and the Mission Hub, ensuring S&S's offering remains relevant and competitive.

Experience & Skills

Essential experience

• 10+ years in client leadership, consulting, delivery or commercial roles.
• Proven ability to grow large, complex accounts and shape multi-year pipelines.
• Deep experience working with C-suite stakeholders across complex organisations.
• Strong commercial acumen, negotiation skills and financial judgement.
• Demonstrated success in transformation, change, operating model or strategic advisory environments.

Skills & competencies

• Strategic thinker with strong commercial instincts.
• Exceptional communication, influence and executive presence.
• Ability to diagnose complex client problems and articulate compelling outcomes.
• Strong negotiation and contracting capability.
• Ability to orchestrate multidisciplinary teams around complex accounts.

Benefits

• Borough Market office space with event space & bar
• Monthly gym membership contributions
• Access to learning and development opportunities
• Membership of The Change Society
• Pension and life assurance
• Hybrid working

Additional Information

S&S values difference. We are working to be our best diverse selves and are committed to providing an inclusive, safe and amicable environment for all people, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and religion (or lack thereof). We are an equal opportunity employer and our recruitment process is based on capability and experience.

S&S also values giving forward, which is why Business for Good is one of our five strategic pillars. We believe that to be good you need to do good, and all it takes is a